Bella
by MusicLoveThought
Summary: Aro/Bella    Rated 'T' to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

I was headed to Volterra for a trip. I thought of it more as a vacation. A badly needed vacation. College was exhausting…

The scenery was breathtaking. I had been living in Italy for the past year so I could attend school, but I could never get over the beauty of it. Volterra, however, was gorgeous.

When I got to my hotel, I realized I was starving, so I decided on going out. I hadn't been to any of the restaurants here, so I chose one I had heard positive accounts on.

I never minded dining alone, and the food was great, leading up to a relaxed, wandering mood. This mood was the reason I decided to take a walk around Volterra. I had a pretty dreamy vibe about this beautiful town.

I strolled casually with a lightness in my step, enjoying everything I saw. The buildings were exceptional from my car, but up close they were exceptional. Intricate designs decorated almost everything I laid eyes on. I was entranced by Volterra.

As the last rays of the sun heated my skin, my dreamy mood grew stronger. Then I was snapped out of it.

The castle-like building was jaw-dropping. It was so… huge, everything about it left me completely awestruck. I wanted to get a better look at it, so I walked around to the side gates, which were closed at the time.

I walked slightly past the side entrance to I could look at the tallest point of the building. It had so many little details…

I reluctantly left the building, knowing I was definitely going to get a look at the inside tomorrow when it was open. I kept my head turned towards the castle, still taking it in as I moved back towards the road that would lead me back to my car.

I ran straight into something cold and hard. I would have thought it was a stone, except it talked. I snapped my head around and saw it was in fact a person in a black cloak. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! I should have watched where I was going…" I rambled. "It is alright, my dear." The man in the black cloak said in a sing-song voice, obviously amused at my repeated apologies. His voice was beautiful, full of sound yet quiet…

Then he was walking into the gates of the castle with several other black cloaked figures. I watched as they entered the castle I had admired earlier. They were intriguing. Now I really wanted to check it out further… There was something different about them that drew me in like a magnet.


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke the next morning knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I jumped out of bed, got ready, and ran out the door.

Images of the black-shrouded figures filled my mind. After I ran into the one, I could still hear his voice in my head, long after I had left. There was something very… unnatural about him, and his voice reflected upon this.

My mind was sharp even when I was in deep thought about the strange people. Did they live in that majestic castle? Why were they hiding their faces? The questions swirled through my mind as I drove…

When I had almost reached my castle, people began to crowd in front of my car. They seemed to be going towards my destination. How odd. And they were all wearing red. It dawned on me. Today was St. Marcus Day.

[St. Marcus Day celebrates when all the vampires in Volterra were destroyed by Saint Marcus.]

When the people started to really annoy me, I found a somewhat acceptable place to park. As I got out of my car, I had to push through all of the red-wearing, fanged, St. Marcus Day goers. It felt like it took five minutes just to get to the safety of the grass.

I decided to take the long way through the grassy area. I felt antsy for some reason, but I just wrote it off as excitement.

Then I reached the gates. Even though this was only my second time to witness the magic of the building, I was left awestruck.

Since everyone had already went in for the tour, I didn't have to fight my way in.

When I had actually entered the castle clad in artistic designs, I felt my stomach drop. Never before had I seen such a beautiful sight.

Ahead of me, I saw the tour group. It seemed like they just started, and I was thankful. I quickly walked up to them, chastising myself for not checking up on the time.

We were lead into a gorgeous, candle-lit corridor. Up ahead, I saw a large, dark colored wood door. Our tour guide was quickly leading her many followers into these doors. Right before I entered the large, domed room ahead, I noticed the doors were intricately carved with odd shapes. I made out something that looked like… a person leaning over another person with their head in their hands. Strange…

Inside the room, there were three long-haired men on thrones. The man on the far left had dark brown hair and a strong facial structure. The one in the middle had raven hair that cascaded down his pale face. The one on the right had extremely light blonde hair on the verge of being white.

I noticed that they all had one thing in common. Black eyes.

"Hello, visitors of our castle. I am Aro, this is Marcus," He gestured to his right. "and this is Caius." He gestured to his left. Strange names…

I looked behind me when I heard the doors close. "Jane." Aro said happily to a young, pretty blonde girl.

After he greeted the girl, he stepped forward towards us, then he started to take hold of each person's hand. When he did this, he closed his eyes. Aro came up to me, pausing for a second. "Hello." he said.

Then it hit me. This was the man I ran into last night. He had the same deep, yet light, accented voice. He smiled at my expression. "I believe we have met." I didn't know what to say to that, so I simply did what I have been known to do. I smiled, blushed, then looked down. "What is your name, dear?" Aro asked. "Bella." I answered quietly. He was… stunning. My expression must have given me away, because he smiled. His teeth gleamed, making my heart jump. He was very stunning.

His hands were ice, literally. He seemed to feel my heart spike at the temperature, because he looked amused.

He showed intense concentration while focusing on my hand. I had no clue what he was doing, but I decided it was best to go along with it.

A shocked look spread across his face as he released my hand. He only said one word. "Interesting…"


	3. Chapter 3

Aro looked behind him towards his brothers with an expression I couldn't read. Then I saw their lips moving as if they were talking, but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

I saw Marcus nod, then the next thing I knew, I was getting shown into another room. I had a feeling this was something that had nothing to do with the tour.

"Umm… Where am I going?" I asked cautiously. The two men escorting me simply looked over their shoulders. Okay…

Once I reached a well-lit room that sort of looked like a lobby. "Stay here." The man with the spiky hair told me, and for some reason, I knew to do what he said. It was probably another aspect to the weirdness.

The two men left me alone with a woman who introduced herself as Gianna. "Do you know why you have been placed in here?" Thank God. Someone who seemed the tiniest amount confused. "I have no idea. I don't even know what's going on here." Gianna pursed her lips, as if she were trying to think.

I heard the most blood-curdling scream. Then another. And another. Until the other room was filled with a whole chorus of screams. Gianna looked almost unfazed, while I sunk to the floor in shock. What was happening to those people in there?

All of a sudden, it stopped. "What the heck just happened in there?" I nearly screeched. "I can't tell you." Gianna told me with a sympathetic look. "Once I do, you will never be able to escape."

I didn't even want to guess what that meant, so I just stayed in the floor, shaking violently.

The girl named Jane came in and motioned for me to follow her. I nodded, slowly getting to my feet.

I was terrified of going into that room. But once there, it seemed as if no one was in there at all. Until a saw a man run out from behind a large statue, screaming at the top of his lungs.

It all happened at once. At first, no one was anywhere near the hysterical man, then the two men I saw from earlier were beside him, biting into his wrists.

I couldn't even scream as I saw the man sink to the floor, dead. A second later, every emotion in the world hit me.

~ARO'S POINT OF VIEW~

The poor child was trembling and sobbing. I felt like I should do something, but I didn't know what would help. We weren't used to that much emotion.

~BELLA'S POINT OF VIEW~

I felt two ice-cold hands take hold of my shoulders. I fell forwards, unable to handle anything. I cried even harder, feeling as if I were going to throw up with each sob. "Shh, Bella, shh." A hand took hold of my face and wiped away the tears.

As my vision cleared, I noticed this was Aro. Before, he seemed very refined. Now, his eyes held all of the sadness, pain, and remorse. These emotions were so evident, I felt the need to hug him, I was just too painfully shy to actually do it.


	4. Chapter 4

A few hours had passed, and I was now in a lavishly decorated room, left to contemplate what I had just witnessed. I had figured out they were vampires, but that was about it.

I wrapped my arms around my legs in order to stifle my stomach's growls of hunger. I was so hungry I almost felt sick.

After a few more minutes, Aro walked in with a look of sympathy. "Come with me, Bella." I got up hesitantly and followed him when he walked out.

We eventually reached a kitchen too clean to have been used before. Probably just for show.

He sat me down with some food, and I ate ravenously, not caring that anyone else was in the room. When I looked up, Aro seemed worried about me.

When I was finished, he said, "I believe some of the earlier events you have witnessed need to be explained…" And with that, he explained what they were. [I don't feel the need to go into great detail, since most of you know what will be said about the vampires.]

After I absorbed the strange information, I was unsure of what to do. Maybe coming to Italy wasn't such a good idea… "Can I leave now?" I asked him hopefully. "No, I'm afraid you cannot leave. If you were to go into the outside world again, there would be… dire consequences." He looked at me earnestly.

I had no reply, most likely due to my numbness. I merely nodded, and allowed him to lead me back to my chambers.

Days passed, and I slowly became used to my strange new life. I learned that Demetri [spiky hair] and Felix could be like big brothers. They would tease and hang out with me like I was supposed to be apart of their family. It made me feel good.

I learned that the Wives could be like older sisters. They would fuss over my clothes and make-up and talk about everything with me.

Caius and Marcus were friendly [more so Marcus… haha slightly grumpy Caius J], and Aro was kind enough for all of them. Every once in awhile, I would catch him watching over me.

"I think someone likes you." Felix said in his annoying brotherly way. I looked up, feeling eyes, and found Aro, completely unfazed by Felix's comments and my glance towards him.

"How can you tell?" I asked, feeling like I was in third grade again. "Oh, please." he retorted, rolling his eyes. Seeing my questioning glance, he went on. "He looks at you like you are some kind of treasured object or something. And when he talks about you, he's all '_Bella_ blah blah blah', '_Bella _needs this.', 'Should I go check on _Bella?'" _I couldn't help but laugh. I'd never heard someone who was supposed to be threatening use a tone of voice like that. Of course, he also was amused to see Aro was listening.

I was expecting him to be angry, but instead he replied with a smile and a "He will pay for it later.". Felix laughed, earning a good-natured brawl, which was his 'payback'.

As I watched, I noticed how good of a heart Aro had. Instead of getting mad like the hormonal teenage boys I was used to, he brushed it off.

Aro stopped the 'fight' with a sophisticated walk away. I giggled. Who knew vampires were so funny?

A day later, I learned a ball was coming up for vampire royalty. I automatically assumed this meant I stayed out of the way, but the Wives insisted that I come. "Bella, we all want you there." Didyme said pleadingly. [In this story Didyme is still alive. I mean, it wouldn't be a very good family atmosphere if Aro actually did kill her, you know?] "I don't know guys…" I was afraid I would be totally useless to them, not to mention I was nowhere near as pretty as these vampires were.

Athendora glared at me. [In this story, she can sense internal conflicts in order to fix them.] "Stop it, Bella. You know, Aro thinks you are pretty." I was shocked, but at the same time, I knew his affection for me has always been a little different than the others'.

After a while, I consented to go. Of course, Athendora and Didyme insisted on buying me a new dress, too. Then, I remembered Jane. Right before we left on a very cloudy Sunday, I went to find Jane.

I found her in the library. She was poring over a huge book. She looked up when I approached. "Hey, Jane. I was wondering if you would like to come with us to find something to wear for the Ball." She smiled, more childlike than usual. "Of course! We hardly ever get to go out, and I sort of… found another vampire…" She said sheepishly. By then all of the Kings, Wives, and Guards were in there waiting for her response.

"Well… his name is Scott, and he's really cute. I met him on the tour earlier and found out he was just like us. He's really nice and he's my age. Isn't that great?" She looked up at us, grinning ear to ear. We all smiled at this. "So you want him to accompany you?" asked the otherwise silent Marcus. "Yes, if that would be okay, of course." She tried to change her expression into an all-business one, but that didn't really work.

Apparently Marcus had seen their bonds when he met the boy [only then would the Kings let him accompany her], so they were allowed to go together.

This made a perfect mood for our shopping trip, so we all left to buy dresses in high spirits.

Vampires are so much more fun than humans… J

_**Hey everyone! How did you like this? I am trying to make the chapters longer, and write more often, so I hope I did okay. If you have any cute scenes you would like to see in this story, I'll try as best as I can to incorporate them in there. Have a great day! J **_


	5. Chapter 5

It was amazing how insignificant you become to people when you walk down the streets with three beautiful vampires. I could've sworn that no one even realized I was there.

Athendora, again, glared at me. "Bella, please.", she scolded. "Aro wouldn't let a human eye rest upon you anyway." I smiled shyly. It was still hard to admit to myself that I _wasn't _insignificant.

We entered the first store, still trying to figure out what kind of dress we were looking for. Jane spotted one almost instantly in her childish excitement. I much preferred to see her act like a happy teenage girl, but we all knew that her place in the Volturi and her status as a vampire would not allow her to be like this for long.

Jane's dress was a mauve color, with skirts that went to the floor. She fell in love with it as soon as she tried it on, a bright smile decorating her face.

"I love it!" she exclaimed happily. "Then it shall be yours." Didyme stated with an adoring smile, much like one a mother would give her child. Jane grinned gratefully.

Our next stop was a boutique, then, due to me being human, a cute café. The others pretended to be human while I ate lunch. Athendora actually attempted coffee, but she immediately spat it out in a very unladylike manner. We laughed so hard we attracted the attention of pretty much every one on the street at the time. I concluded that that moment was one of the main ones I probably wouldn't forget.

By the end of the day, we all had exactly what we were looking for. Didyme bought a dark red one that included an old-fashioned corset. Athendora bought a slim-fitting light green dress that reached the floor, which was cut 'mermaid' style. Jane of course got her mauve dress that was unlike any clothing in her wardrobe. I got a dress unlike any I had ever _seen _before.

I purchased a midnight blue, full skirted, gown with layers of fabric. It looked and felt expensive, but I wasn't allowed to see the price so I wouldn't complain about them paying for it. I knew right then the price was ridiculous.

When we returned to the castle, we were laughing and cracking jokes, especially ones about Didyme's earlier stunt.

I felt like I belonged when I saw the King's faces. Each one's glowing expression was directed to their wife. Aro's expression was directed at me. Of course, being the meek human, I blushed.

"Come here, Bella dear. It appears you all have events to share?" Aro referred to our near hysterical laughter when we walked into the main doors.

Didyme and Athendora automatically giggled. "Coffee is not Didyme's preference.", was all I said.

The Kings merely shook their heads in amusement, almost as if they expected the antics.

Aro stood and kissed my cheek, not releasing me until the contact lasted longer than need-be, but I didn't care. I knew he could feel my heart explode into a pitter-patter of beats, because he smiled and stroked my jaw.

The show of affection was over as soon as it began, for he walked away because the Kings were needed for a meeting. I was practically gaping.

I never thought the girls would discontinue their incessant chatter about how they 'told me so'. Until they realized their favorite soap opera was on.

I never figured out how many human traits vampires had until I watched them become completely absorbed in the near corny plot of the show. I laughed to myself and joined them, letting my thoughts drift to Aro.


	6. Chapter 6

The day of the Ball was nearing, and I was beyond nervous. I knew nothing about dancing, etiquette, or anything of the sort.

On the day of the Ball, I was a near mess; trying to gather all of the expensive prospects of my elaborate gown. That's when Athendora entered my room with a sympathetic, sisterly smile. I apparently hadn't done a very good job on hiding my stress.

"Dear Bella. Why do you torture yourself? You are still shaken up about what Aro will think of you tonight, aren't you? Wait, I already know the answer; yes. Do us all a favor and be excited." She added another smile, so I attempted to reassure her that I was going to be alright, and that I was merely flustered. She gave me a hug and left the room. I could all but predict that she was going to be back in order to fuss over the components of my outfit.

A couple of hours later, I was almost completely ready. Of course, that's when all three of my new sisters entered my room in order to do my makeup.

I felt as if I were the most important person in the world at that moment; with the three of them fluttering about me. I was almost shocked to find that I enjoyed all that they had done.

When I looked in the mirror, I was awestruck. My gown fit perfectly; blue folds of sophisticated fabric swimming around me. My makeup was simple, yet gorgeous. And I was glowing not only from the blush applied professionally to my cheekbones, but from utter happiness.

"It will be okay. We will walk out with you." Didyme said, natural kindness glowing in her eyes. I smiled to let her know that I appreciated her presence. I was excited and nervous about Aro's reaction. Would he be happy to see me, even though he has seen much more beautiful beings? I sure hoped so.

We walked through the doors that topped a long, serpentine staircase. When my eyes adjusted to the dimmer lighting, I saw that Aro was standing at the top of this staircase with his back turned to us.

Athendora, sensing my apprehension, gave me a light, encouraging push. Picking up on my increased heart rate, he turned.

"Bella…" he said, stunned. ", my eyes have not rested on a more beautiful sight. Now come with me, so I can observe you in better lighting." I blushed.

Right then, I noticed Felix at my side. "…And that right there, would be his excuse to dance with you." I laughed. Aro shot him a sideways glance and said "Are my lines already outdated?" Felix rolled his eyes, and I giggled. It seemed I was going to have more fun than I thought.

Later on, I was starting to get hungry, and Aro, like usual, could tell. He slyly led us away from the formal dancing and banter of the ballroom into the kitchen.

We sat together on the bench as I ate. Every once in a while I would catch him watching me fondly with a slight smile on his perfect face.

"Now little one," he scolded lightly. "why didn't you tell me you were hungry?" I was afraid he was going to ask that. "Well… I was a little afraid of… being an inconvenience. I sometimes feel li-" He leaned over and kissed me, his hands stroking my hair. I had never felt so happy in my entire lifetime.


	7. Chapter 7

As the days went on, my feelings of happiness stayed, but there was always something nagging me at the back of my mind. How in the world could Aro ever love me? He could have anyone he wanted, yet he chose me. I could tell by the look in his eyes every time he looked at me. I even knew Marcus could tell we were meant to be together, but I still didn't understand.

I peered into the large vanity mirror of my room, trying to figure out what he could see. I did like my hair and my eyes, to tell the truth, but what else? None of the guys at school paid any attention to me, and I was nothing like the women I now resided with. These feelings stayed hidden as best as I could for the next month.

I could tell Athendora could see glimpses of this conflict, and that the rest of my family had sensed something was wrong.

Day after day, this feeling got worse. I didn't even know if true love was real or not.

After another near sleepless night, I rose and decided to go on a walk through the lavish, fenced-off forest outside of the castle. After I put on some comfortable clothing, I walked outside.

The air refreshed my skin, and I instantly felt a lift in my spirits. I began to wander, not knowing how similar the trees of the forest looked until I was completely, utterly lost.

I thought I could easily find my way back, until I realized I kept coming across the same stone wall that marked the barrier between the vampire and human world in Volterra.

The sun rose further in the sky, marking noon, and I still had not retraced my steps. Suddenly, everything I had felt since I first came into the castle crashed down on me. It didn't help my being lost at all.

The tears fell slowly at first, but over a matter of a few minutes, I was sobbing.

I carried on like that for God-knows how long, until I felt two strong arms encircle me. My captor kept rocking me back and forth, whispering kind words of consolance. I looked up and realized that this particular captor also happened to be the captor of my heart. Aro.

He helped me stand, then asked " Now what is the matter? We all have noticed a change in you, and I don't particularly like this change." I looked up at him, and began to explain all that I had been feeling.

His eyes saddened at some of the things I had told him, especially the part about me not feeling beautiful, but overall, I felt much better.

Out of the blue, he asked me something. "You do know what your name means in Italian, correct?" He looked over at me with loving eyes. I shook my head, not exactly sure what he was getting at. "Beautiful. Your name means beautiful." I smiled and kissed his hand. "Beautiful, _bella, _is exactly what you are to me. I love you."

He spoke earnestly and truthfully, because from then on, we knew we were going to spend the rest of eternity together. Eternity was sealed with a kiss…

_**THE END **_

**What did you guys think? **

**Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers. I grandly appreciate your time! **


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